We’ve featured the paper-centric work of Yulia Brodskaya on BeautifulLife, and the U.K.-based artist continues to hone her craft with increasingly large-scale portraits. Three recent portraits, Seeing, Seeshall, and Pull to the Light , all feature larger-than-life busts of female subjects in a range of traditional dress. Each figure appears to be focused on a point in the distance, connecting with Yulia Brodskaya‘s sight-themed titles.

Brodskaya’s signature technique of ‘painting with paper’ is a contemporary interpretation of quilling, wherein the artist folds, bends, and spirals strips of colored paper. Rather than densely filling the entire surface with the manipulated paper strips, Brodskaya also incorporates flat fields of color underneath and between each textural element. This two-part technique allows the viewer’s eye to take in the dramatic shapes and shadows.
After developing and evolving this technique over the last twelve years, Brodskaya has compiled a deep dive into her creative process in a forthcoming book, ?Painting With Paper?. An her book is not a collection of DIY projects.

“It’s an insight into my creative process with practical tips on how to work with my methods in various ways of your own. Learn how to work with colors, the importance of testing compositions, which part of the image to start with, and when to consider it complete. I hope you will find t...